Activities:

This student activity is designed to explore the concept of work and gravitational potential energy through the system of a roller coaster. Includes detailed directions, elicitation questions, example data sheets, and assessments. It is part of the workshop manual on Energy, developed by the PTRA, Physics Teacher Resource Agents, and supported by the American Association of Physics Teachers.

This student activity is designed to explore the energy that can be provided by burning fuels. It is part of a workshop manual on Energy, developed by the PTRA, Physics Teacher Resource Agents, and supported by the American Association of Physics Teachers.

This unique activity promotes understanding of the concept of power. Students are asked to measure their gain in gravitational potential energy as they climb a flight of stairs, then calculate the rate at which this potential energy is gained. This lesson is part of a workshop manual on Energy developed by the PTRA, Physics Teacher Resource Agents, and supported by the American Association of Physics Teachers. Includes assessment.

This simulation-based lesson was developed by a middle school science teacher to help students visualize how energy is conserved in a simple pendulum (a child swinging on a swing). Students can drag the swing to different heights, then activate the motion. As the swing moves in periodic motion, energy bar graphs are shown in real-time.....letting students see the changing levels of kinetic and potential energy. Highly recommended by editors. Includes full lesson plan and printable student guide. Easily adaptable for high school.

One of the best ways for students to visualize Conservation of Energy is to create an energy pie chart or bar graph. This cost-free web page allows them to select from one of five graph types: bar, pie, line, area, or X/Y. They can customize the patterns, colors, grids, and label choices, then print the final product. Editor's Note: Try letting students create their own energy graphs after exploring the Pendulum Energy Model (above).

References and Collections:

A fuel cell is a device that converts chemical energy directly to electrical energy, resulting in greater fuel efficiency and fewer emissions. This online report, written for non-scientists, is an excellent reference for teachers planning a unit on clean energy or alternative fuels.

One of the best websites we've found for exploring different sources of energy and the advantages/disadvantages of each. Sections include: fossil fuels, solar, wind and geothermal energy, hydroelectric power, nuclear, and biomass. Don't miss the sections on tidal energy and ocean wave energy! Each section provides video clips, images, and diagrams to help kids see how the processes work.

Student Tutorials:

Work-Energy bar charts are a conceptual tool which depict the amount of each form of energy within a system as it undergoes a particular motion or process. This animated tutorial helps students understand the intricate relationship between work and energy, an area of common misconception.

This five-part tutorial helps users analyze motion from the perspective of Work and Energy. Explore potential energy, kinetic energy, and total mechanical energy with the help of descriptive text, sample problems with solutions, force diagrams, and links to related animations. Resource is appropriate for middle school teachers and for high school physics courses.

Activities:

This is a good simulation to complement a lesson on work and energy. As students move objects of varying mass up an incline, they can adjust the angle of the ramp, friction, and applied force. Can be modified to meet curriculum of grades 5-12.

References and Collections:

It can be hard for students to understand the difference between energy sources and energy forms. This tutorial from the U.S. Energy Information Administration defines and gives examples of renewable and nonrenewable energy sources, energy transfer, and forms of energy (with emphasis on kinetic and potential forms). It is simple, but packs punch with its easy-to-follow diagrams, tables, and images.

Content Support For Teachers:

This site has ideas and content support for teachers planning a unit on energy. It gives examples of topics that teachers could incorporate into their lesson plans, and provides a wide array of links to digital energy resources.

Student Tutorials:

This is a readable and well-organized tutorial for secondary physical science students to gain understanding of what energy is and how energy is converted from one form to another. Topics range from batteries and generators to full chapters on seven sources of renewable energy.

The author of The Physics Classroom has tied together the concepts of work, power, and Conservation of Energy in this set of 6 interactive tutorials for high school students. It provides a good foundation for future understanding of the Work-Energy Theorem. This section is appropriate for Physics First, as well as high school physics courses.

Lesson Plans:

This site from the U.S. Energy Information Administration provides a large set of lesson plans for teaching about energy. Lessons are organized in four categories: primary (30), elementary (25), intermediate (22), and secondary (15 lessons). Topics include forms of energy, fossil fuels, geothermal, solar, nuclear, wind, U.S. energy consumption, and more.

Activities:

The sun is the ultimate renewable energy source. This page provides step-by-step directions for constructing a solar oven using simple, easily-obtained materials. It includes a pattern for building the oven, detailed background information, and construction plans for student use.

This resource gives step-by-step instructions for building a vertical axis wind turbine in secondary classrooms. The 17-page construction plans may be freely downloaded and are organized for first-time builders. A printable lesson plan is provided, as well as comprehensive background information on wind energy.

This resource gives step-by-step instructions for building a water-powered electric generator from plastic spoons. The model closely resembles real micro-hydro designs, and can produce enough electricity to light a small light bulb. Detailed background information and links to animated tours of hydroelectric power plants are included.

This virtual tour begins as water from a reservoir flows through a large pipe at the bottom of a dam and acts to power a giant turbine. Students can see how energy is transformed from mechanical to electrical by the excitation of electrons within magnets inside the turbine shaft. This activity would be great teamed with the project above on building a water-powered generator.

A fuel cell is a device that converts chemical energy directly to electrical energy, resulting in greater fuel efficiency and fewer emissions. This online report, written for non-scientists, is a great reference for teachers planning a unit on clean energy or alternative fuels.

Content Support For Teachers:

This site from the U.S. Energy Information Administration provides a wide array of tutorials, background information, lesson plans, games, and activities for teaching about energy. The section on Energy Sources is especially well-developed. Accompanying lessons are organized in four levels: primary, elementary, intermediate, and secondary.

Student Tutorials:

This is a good model for students to interactively explore how masses and springs relate to potential energy and Hooke's Law. They can adjust the stiffness of the spring, the hanging mass, damping (friction) and gravitational constant. Energy charts are provided to analyze the changing potential and kinetic energy of each spring.

One of the best websites we've found for exploring different sources of energy and the advantages/disadvantages of each. Sections include: fossil fuels, solar, wind and geothermal energy, hydroelectric power, nuclear, and biomass. Don't miss the sections on tidal energy and ocean wave energy! Each section provides video clips, images, and diagrams to help kids see how the processes work.

Lesson Plans:

The Law of Conservation of Energy can be misunderstood, even by students who have had prior instruction. This lesson, developed by physicist David Stern, offers unique and engaging ideas for elicitation and warm-up exercises.

Explore energy transfer in this easy-to-setup activity. Place a ping-pong ball on top of a racquetball and drop them together. Upon impact, some of the energy of the racquetball is transferred to the smaller ball. Background information, printable data sheets, and assessments are also provided.

This 8-day instructional unit for middle school integrates engineering practice into a study of the energy of motion. Through investigations of waterwheels, roller coasters, bouncing balls, and a pendulum, students get a solid introduction to energy transformation in a mechanical system. The unit also introduces static and kinetic friction, drag, elastic/inelastic collision, and students learn to calculate frictional force. Don't have time to do the full unit? Lessons can be pulled out individually.

Activities:

Students explore conservation of energy by building ramps, jumps, and tracks for a skateboarder. The relationship of kinetic and potential energy becomes clear through energy vs. time and position charts.

The motion of a pendulum is a classic example of mechanical energy conservation. In this animated tutorial, energy bar graphs depict the changing ratios of kinetic-to-potential energy as the pendulum swings.

One of the best ways for students to visualize Conservation of Energy is to create an energy pie chart or bar graph. This cost-free web page allows them to select from one of five graph types: bar, pie, line, area, or X/Y. They can customize the patterns, colors, grids, and label choices, then print the final product.

This simulation allows the student to design a simple roller coaster, and then evaluates the roller coaster based on physics principles. It rates each student's roller coaster design for safety and fun, with detailed explanations of the strength or failing of each design. This simulation could work well as a starting point for studying roller coaster motion. The resource below is a perfect follow-up.

Roller coasters offer an inherently interesting way to study energy transformation. This scaffolded activity lets students choose from 5 track configurations or create their own design, then observe the resulting motion. Energy bar graphs are simultaneously displayed as the roller coaster runs its course. Students can adjust the initial speed of the car, add friction, or switch to stepped motion to see the exact points at which kinetic and potential energy reach maximum and minimum levels. Includes lesson plan and student guide.

Student Tutorials:

Work-Energy bar charts are a conceptual tool which depict the amount of each form of energy within a system as it undergoes a particular motion or process. This animated tutorial helps students understand conservation of energy as they visualize the relationship between work and energy.

In this five-part tutorial you will explore potential energy, kinetic energy, and total mechanical energy with the help of sample problems and solutions, force diagrams, and links to related animations. This tutorial is appropriate for secondary science teachers and for students of high school physics.

Activities:

This virtual tour begins as water from a reservoir flows through a large pipe at the bottom of a dam and acts to power a giant turbine. Students can see two types of energy transformation: 1) Gravitational Potential Energy transforms to Mechanical Energy when rushing water turns the turbine, and 2) Mechanical Energy is transformed to Electrical Energy by the excitation of electrons within magnets in the turbine shaft.

How do solar panels work to gather energy from the sun and transform it to electrical energy? In this inquiry-based lab, students work in teams to disassemble a calculator, evaluate the design and operation of its component parts, and improve functionality through redesign. The lesson specifically focuses on photovoltaic technology to get kids excited about semiconductor physics. Includes problem set.

For teachers doing a unit on photovoltaics, this Flash animation will help students visualize what happens at the atomic scale as captured photons are converted to electric current in the solar cell. Toggle between two types of solar cells: the traditional silicon semiconductor and the newer dye-sensitized cell. Kids will see that there's more than one way to excite an electron.

This simple, yet thought-provoking simulation helps students to "see" the flow of energy through a real-life system -- from start to finish. They can choose sunlight, steam, flowing water, or mechanical energy to power their systems. Very effective way to visualize energy transformation and a great way to introduce the Law of Conservation of Energy.

Student Tutorials:

This animated tutorial features a downhill skier and four energy bar graphs. Students observe the transformation of energy from potential to kinetic during the descent. The end of the run is unpacked snow and the skier loses total mechanical energy (TME) to the dissipative force of friction.

This tutorial features an animated roller coaster with moving bar graphs that depict kinetic and potential energy as the car descends and climbs. It is an example of a system in which TME (Total Mechanical Energy) remains the same during the course of the motion.

The motion of a pendulum is a classic example of mechanical energy conservation. In this animated tutorial, energy bar graphs depict the changing ratios of kinetic-to-potential energy as the pendulum swings.

Activities:

This activity is designed to elicit student reflection about issues relating to large-scale use of different energy sources: nuclear waste, pollution, accessibility of fuel sources, and consequences of fossil fuel consumption. It is part of a workshop manual developed by the PTRA, (Physics Teacher Resource Agents).

This student activity explores energy flow and conservation and was developed to help students make responsible choices in use of energy resources. It is part of a workshop manual on Energy by the PTRA, (Physics Teacher Resource Agents).

This versatile simulation can be adapted for upper elementary, middle school, and high school. In its simplest form, kids can investigate greenhouse gases that were present in the last Ice Age, in the year 1750, at the present time, and at a point in the future. High school students can adjust levels of 4 atmospheric gases, then "shoot" infrared and visible photons into the atmosphere. How does the balance of gas levels influence photon absorption?

Power up a city -- choosing from both green and nonrenewable energy sources. But wait: if you choose all clean energy sources, you go over budget and lose the game. If you choose the cheapest sources, you smog up your city and still lose. What is the right balance, given viable scenarios and realistic budget constraints?

Lesson Plans:

This multi-day project immerses students in the basics of passive and solar energy through hands-on labs. First, students explore photovoltaic cells and color absorption, then design and construct a small-scale "house" that implements solar panel technologies.

The sun is the ultimate renewable energy source. This page provides step-by-step directions for constructing a solar oven that really cooks -- using simple, easily-obtained materials. Includes pattern for building the oven, detailed background information, and construction plans for student use.

Looking for ways to integrate engineering design into the science classroom? This is a 3-day unit for Grades 5-8 that explores passive solar design as students work on teams to build a solar structure with four walls, four windows, two doors, and a roof. They must consider ventilation, conduction, materials choices, and orientation of the structure for optimal heat absorption. After construction, students test their solar houses to determine how well they regulate temperature.

Activities:

How does a solar panel convert sunlight into electrical current? This interactive Flash tutorial provides a close-up look at each layer of the basic solar panel to show how electrons are energized when sunlight strikes the cell.

Thought-provoking video takes a realistic view of the promise and challenge of solar power. It explores how solar energy is being currently used to power homes and businesses, and presents research into new methods for implementing solar technology. Free download.

This versatile simulation can be adapted for upper elementary, middle school, and high school. In its simplest form, kids can investigate greenhouse gases that were present in the last Ice Age, in the year 1750, at the present time, and at a point in the future. High school students can adjust levels of 4 atmospheric gases, then "shoot" infrared and visible photons into the atmosphere. How does the balance of gas levels influence photon absorption?

Content Support For Teachers:

One of the best websites we've found for exploring different sources of energy and the advantages/disadvantages of each. Sections include: fossil fuels, solar, wind and geothermal energy, hydroelectric power, nuclear, and biomass. Don't miss the sections on tidal energy and ocean wave energy! Each section provides video clips, images, and diagrams to help kids see how the processes work.

References and Collections:

The NEED Project is a national initiative to bring innovative curriculum materials in energy education to teachers and learners from the primary grades through college. At the core of the project's work are the portfolios of 120+ comprehensive curriculum guides on forms of energy, renewable and nonrenewable sources of energy, electricity, and fuel efficiency. Don't miss the interactive maps and Question Bank for customizing your assessments.

Activities:

This simple, yet thought-provoking simulation helps students to "see" the flow of energy through a real-life system -- from start to finish. They can choose sunlight, steam, flowing water, or mechanical energy to power their systems. Very effective way to visualize energy transformation and a great way to introduce the Law of Conservation of Energy.